ROB HORDIJK’S BLIPPOO BOX
“Turbulent flow, long considered a form of chaos, is now know to possess an intricate structure of vortices and eddies within other vortices and eddies… The spatial structure of turbulence, like that of any structure that is made of small copies of itself, is said to have a “fractal” nature… Like a vortex, which maintains its shape despite the fact that it is but part of a violently moving fluid, a command system in battle must form an island of stability amid the surrounding chaos, an island created by the same forces producing the turmoil around it.” (Manuel DeLanda).
The Blippoo Box is a small synthesizer designed by legendary Dutch instrument builder Rob Hordijk. I got mine in 2008. Built around a nonlinear feedback system, it generates patterns with chaotic properties such as attractors and bifurcations, so the instrument periodically veers into unexpected territory. The smallest adjustment, sometimes a fraction of a millimeter, can produce radically different results. In this sense, the Blippoo Box inverts the traditional synthesizer paradigm, which prioritizes control over outcome. That makes it an ideal instrument for an improviser: it keeps me on the edge on my seat. I have played it for nearly two decades, in solo performances and large ensembles, and it continues to surprise me. It also serves as a welcome counterpoint to the sprawling rigs that tend to dominate electronic music stages.
Hans Tammen – Herb Robertson – Jay Rosen at Bowery Poetry Club
Jan 2009 at Bowery Poetry Club, Hans Tammen – endangered guitar, blippoo box, Herb Robertson – trumpet, Jay Rosen – percussion